Ensuring disaster resilience in urban area the key: Venkaiah Naidu

Stressing that delivery and execution are the crucial for success of urban development, union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Wednesday that urbanisation has become irreversible and ensuring disaster resilience in urban area is the key.

"Governance holds the key in ensuring that no one is left behind in benefitting from the gains of urban development and in making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable," Naidu said after inaugurating the sixth edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development here.

The Urban Development Minister also stressed that housing is one of most important component of civilisation.

Highlighting the works of his government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that the present government has introduced a new lexicon in urban governance.

"Fostering competition among cities, ranking of cities, comprehensive planning have resulted in a new consciousness.

"A new urban renaissance is taking place in India. Ministers and senior officials from 60 countries in the region are deliberating on challenges of urban planning and management," he said.

Voicing concern over weak governance structures in most of the member countries of the region, he said that over the last two years, the government has taken several initiatives to improve technical, planning and managerial capabilities of city governments in India.

Noting that peri-urban development is a major form of urbanisation in India, Naidu emphasised the need for regional planning promoting linkages between rural and urban areas for synergy in development.

The 6th Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development being held in New Delhi is the first such meet after New Urban Agenda for inclusive and sustainable urban development for the next 20 years was adopted at the Habitat-III global conference in Quito, Ecuador in October this year.

--IANS

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